Monday, January 13, 2020

Castle Whiterock: The Immense Cavern, part 3

The party is going to go through some rather critical encounters on the way back down through the dungeon. Though the upper levels have been mostly cleared, a few notable stumbling blocks remain; there is the clan of trolls who have moved into the old troglodyte warrens (still unencountered since the party prefers to take the lift from level 2 to level 7), the aboleth lair on level 7, and several untouched encounters along the way through level 9, the Immense Cavern.

The party has negotiated a truce with the hidden drow enclave and Gar & Nar, so those areas can largely be ignored. The trolls have not been encountered yet; perhaps an ambush is in order. Everyone loves fighting trolls, right? 

In addition I've decided to eliminate the drunken delver from 9-8; it's obnoxious and a distraction from the main theme the party is pursuing and they certainly don't need any more distractions at this point. Likewise I will omit the teenage stone giants, for similar reasons. 

Galdiera Goldmoon, the polymorphed half-celestial guarding the bridge, is another story. Unless they decide to fly, they will have to cross the bridge at some point. She's a potentially fantastic ally if the party decides to continue through with the theme of Whiterock. She is also a considerable rebuild; paladins are significantly different between Pathfinder and the original 3.5 material. 

This also allows me to trash the original 9-7 text. It's long-winded in its history and short on the actual tactical details that could make it an interesting encounter, especially given that it is by default a combat encounter. Save the plot development for after the fight! 

It's worth noting that the original author mistakenly included Galdiera's half-celestial abilities and resistances in the kobold statblock. This is a no-no. When polymorphed, you lose any supernatural abilities based on your previous form! 

Three encounters before they exit the level? I can do this!



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